This is such a seemingly simple yet profoundly difficult question to answer, not least because it has both a personal psychological as well as overarching sociological component. Thank you for asking it.
I’m not sure I can give an adequate answer, but my first instinct is to say that if your two examples are aspects of infantilization, they’re minor ripples far from the center of the turbulence.
Infantilization is ultimately an attempt to escape from the anxiety caused by existential freedom.
In “The Meaning of Anxiety,” Rollo
May said that “…people grasp at political authoritarianism in the desperate need to be relieved of anxiety.”
Similarly, in “Escape from Freedom,” Erich Fromm observed that infantilization involves submission to the tyranny of the majority, which he said was characterized by “obedience to common sense, science, psychic health, normality, public opinion.”
The wish to escape the anxiety of living in individual freedom of conscience against today’s powerfully majoritarian Covid & climate zeitgeist of mass pressure to submit and conform ultimately takes a myriad of forms.
Your two examples may be minor variants of the main viral current.
Cynical, but unfortunately, well founded. If only humanity would recognize our intimate connection with nature (Kohak) we might have a a chance. But I fear that technology might win. Science has scored big points this year. Now can we integrate that with morality and mythos? Thanks for your articles!
Bill Maher did a 7min rant at the end of his last episode,”New Rule ; Fat Acceptance “ https://youtu.be/yfiWjnStE3w
There’s also a VS model with Downs Syndrome Sofia Jirau. Is all this another aspect of Infantilization & Consolation?
This is such a seemingly simple yet profoundly difficult question to answer, not least because it has both a personal psychological as well as overarching sociological component. Thank you for asking it.
I’m not sure I can give an adequate answer, but my first instinct is to say that if your two examples are aspects of infantilization, they’re minor ripples far from the center of the turbulence.
Infantilization is ultimately an attempt to escape from the anxiety caused by existential freedom.
In “The Meaning of Anxiety,” Rollo
May said that “…people grasp at political authoritarianism in the desperate need to be relieved of anxiety.”
Similarly, in “Escape from Freedom,” Erich Fromm observed that infantilization involves submission to the tyranny of the majority, which he said was characterized by “obedience to common sense, science, psychic health, normality, public opinion.”
The wish to escape the anxiety of living in individual freedom of conscience against today’s powerfully majoritarian Covid & climate zeitgeist of mass pressure to submit and conform ultimately takes a myriad of forms.
Your two examples may be minor variants of the main viral current.
Cynical, but unfortunately, well founded. If only humanity would recognize our intimate connection with nature (Kohak) we might have a a chance. But I fear that technology might win. Science has scored big points this year. Now can we integrate that with morality and mythos? Thanks for your articles!
Excellent. This and the other posts.
Thank you.